Difference of opinion among Congress leaders in Kerala on the question of participation of its leaders in the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 has surfaced in KPCC executive meet held here on Saturday.

Speaking at the executive meeting, former KPCC president VM Sudheeran took a stand that the Congress should not participate in the Ram Temple consecration ceremony. Sudheeran said that KPCC’s position in this regard should be conveyed to the high command and that there should be no soft Hinduism.

Disagreeing with Sudheeran, Congress Working Committee member Sashi Tharoor said that there is neither radical Hinduism nor soft Hinduism in the Congress and there are many Hindu believers in the Congress as activists. He also cautioned the Congress leaders and workers on the BJP making the Ayodhya Ram temple a political weapon.

AICC General Secretary in-charge of Kerala Deepa Das Munshi, who participated in the executive meeting, interfered and asked the party leaders not to make statements on controversial issues. She said the party high command will take an appropriate decision on the issue.

Sudheeran also criticized the Congress leadership in the state at the KPCC executive meeting. He said that the KPCC leadership is a failure and the leaders are not working for the party but for themselves.

Responding to Sudheeran’s statement against party leadership, KPCC chief K Sudhakaran said that Sudheeran had conveyed that he was keeping aloof from party activities, when he went to meet him after taking over charge of the party in the state.

Meanwhile, Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Ulama president Syed Muhammad Geoffrey Muthukoya Thangal said that the editorial of the ‘Suprabhatam’ daily did not reflect the opinion of Samastha as regards the Ayodhya issue.

Speaking to media persons in Kozhikode. Thangal said that Samastha had no opinion on the political policies of the political parties.

“If political parties are invited for the consecration ceremony, they can accept the invitation or reject it. That’s their policy,” he said .

The ‘Suprabhatam’ daily, the mouthpiece of Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Ulama, had the other day come out against the Congress’ stand that it will participate in the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple.